This piece was written by: Adam Pfeifer (Akron)

Queue 1:

UWP v VCU- VCU will dominate this game and control the pace. They will win the match by working together. VCU 4-0. Yellow Card Potential

SVSU v Kent- This will be a back and forth game but I think Kent will win with their catching and talent from 9-12 beating SVSU’s bottom of the roster. Kent with the win over SVSU 3-2. (If Tyler doesn’t get hurt this time around) Yellow Card Probable, Red Card Potential

UCF v NSU- I think this will be a very high scoring game, with both being newer teams. UCF will win with the roster advantage but NSU will score in this game due to a few players having more game experience. The score will probably end up being 4-2 UCF with their first win. Continue reading “Nationals 2018 Saturday Schedule and Predictions”

As the 2017-18 College Dodgeball season comes to a close, we have an opportunity to reflect on everything that happened during the year. One of the most intriguing questions in our sport right now is in regards to how regions stack up against one another. Some will argue the Michigan Region is clearly the best, but when looking at the Power Rankings produced throughout the season, it is a closer race than some may assume.

This season, we produced a Monthly Power Rankings following each month that teams were active, starting with a Preseason list, leading all the way up to April 2018. While the Post-Nationals Power Rankings is yet to be determined, there is plenty of data to analyze from the other lists.

Before we dig in, the first question that needs to be answered is: what are the NCDA’s regions? To be clear, the league does not have set “regions” or “conferences” just yet, but for content/organizational purposes we assign each team to a certain region. Here are the 6 regions I used for this analysis:

The state of Michigan’s 11-year national title run will come to an end eventually (maybe even this year). Here’s a look at the teams who came closest to ending ‘The Streak’ in the past, and those best positioned to do so this year:

The state of Michigan has had an unprecedented amount of success in collegiate dodgeball over the past decade or so. In fact, a team from Michigan has won each of the last 11 NCDA Nationals Titles. This 11-year-run has been incredible, but there have certainly been a few close calls along the way.

Here we are, less than a week away from crowning yet another College Dodgeball National Champion, and ‘The Streak’ is still alive and well. Before I dive into which teams have the best shot to end this steak in 2018, here is a quick history lesson on the closest misses that have occurred during the 11-year stretch:

If a player receives a Yellow Card while not currently a Live Player, a Live Player must be removed from the court and enter the Jail. The player removed is at the choosing of the team of the offending player. The player receiving the Yellow Card is ineligible to reenter the point at any point, regardless of the number of catches. The Live Player removed from the court is eligible to return to the court if the necessary amount of catches occur.

Amendment to rule 3.7.4 Red Cards

If a player receives a Red Card while not currently a Live Player, a Live Player must be removed from the court and enter the Jail. The player removed is at the choosing of the team of the offending player. The player receiving the Red Card is ineligible to reenter the game at any point, and their team must play at a man disadvantage the rest of the game. The Live Player removed from the court is eligible to return to the court if the necessary amount of catches occur. If the offending player was not a Live Player at any point during the current point, the Live Player removed from the court would be ineligible to return to the court until a new point begins, in which the offending team would continue to play at a man disadvantage.

Rationale: Currently, if a player receives a Yellow Card while already eliminated, the only penalty the team suffers is that player is ineligible to return to the point. As most players receive yellow cards in this situation, there really is no penalty to the team in practice. This change would ensure that acts warranting Yellow Cards would indeed be penalties to the offending team, no matter if the offending player is currently a Live Player or not.

2018 Wes Hopkins Fastest Arm Contest, sponsored by District 5 and presented by the DePaul Dodgeball Society, may be a floating event during the first queues of Saturday. We may be gathering results from players before the start of their games, and during halftimes during Queues 1, 2 and 3. Any players that would like to be clocked in should find Zig.

It is that time of the month again to look at the performances of players throughout the league and determine who is the Baller of the Month. The board looked at various criteria and a number of deserving players and the content team decided on University of Wisconsin- Platteville’s very own Will Martin. Continue reading “BOTM: 2018 April”

Rule Proposal:
If two balls thrown from the SAME team collide in mid-air, both balls stay live until ruled dead.

Currently these balls would be considered dead. I feel like this rule is often forgotten and ignored as its near impossible to see from a ref’s perspective on team throws. Changing this rule hopefully makes reffing easier and clarifies the “Two for the Show” rule.

This rule pertains to the current forfeit rule. In the event a team cancels less than 10 days before a tournament and no replacement can be found the team will be assessed a forfeit for each match they were scheduled to play unless the reason for the team backing out is justified. This will count as a loss for them and a win for the team they were set to play. Currently if the board votes the reason for a teams inability to travel to a tournament was justified, the team is not given a forfeit. If all teams in attendance play three matches they are also not granted a forfeit. Teams that back out are still able to recieve a forfeit if they back out last minute and the board votes they to give them the forfeit. They are assigned a forfeit loss over a ghost team with a rank of 40.0.
In the event a team backs out less than 10 days prior, and the board rules their reason is justified, and the team they were set to play only has two games, a forfeit will be awarded. The team in question that backed out will not be assigned a loss, but the team not playing three game will be awarded a win over a ghost team with rank of 40.0.
In addition to this rule I vote that the rule on forfeits is the rule. Travel time should not be a factor on if a team is assigned a forfeit or not. If a team was guaranteed to play three matches, and because of a team backing out results in them only playing two, the team should be awarded a forfeit.

Nationals 2018 is right around the corner! As we get prepped for College Dodgeball’s 2017-18 ‘season finale’, let’s take a look at the new Power Rankings for the month of April.

Below is the official Power Rankings list produced by NCDA Executive Board members Jacob Leski (Director of Recruitment and Retention), and Kevin Bailey (Chief of Content). For this Pre-Nationals Power Rankings list, we included Hunter Ford (Director of Nationals) to give his thoughts on the top 20 teams in the country. Please keep in mind: these power rankings have no impact on the actual NCDA Standings. Continue reading “Power Rankings: April 2018”

In the 2018 Season, we have 57 technical upsets in 237 ranked matches (75.95% success rate) across 36 events.

The Gonzalez System is a computer ranking model similar to Elo and is a rating exchange system based on research performed by World Rugby. It has been adapted by the NCDA to the demands of College Dodgeball, but can be tuned and customized endlessly to incorporate accurate data. It has been used to help determine seeds for the Nationals bracket since Nationals 2014, and was used exclusively for the Nationals 2017 and Nationals 2018 bracket.

Rule Proposal: Rosters can be altered between days during 2-day tournaments

Rationale: Promotes depth for teams and gives players who are lower on the totem pole an opportunity to step up in the case of arm soreness or injury. I believe it is better to tell someone that they are an alternate rather than saying they are not going to play.